Today's Paper
» NATIONAL
» TAMIL NADU

Do not to recommend GM crops, TNAU told

TIRUNELVELI: Organic farming expert G. Nammaazhvaar has appealed to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Coimbatore not to recommend genetically modified seeds being marketed by some multinational companies, “as these hereditarily tailored seeds are going to destroy the productivity of the country and subsequently the lives of agriculturists.”

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday Mr. Nammaazhvaar said that the human beings consuming the genetically modified crops would be suffering from a range of diseases and hence several countries in Europe had refused to adopt this dreadful scientific advancement in their farms.

The pioneer of organic farming movement warned that farmers cultivating genetically modified crops would be forced to repetitively depend only on the companies marketing these seeds since they could not get quality seeds from the heritably customised crops.

He urged the governments to encourage the farmers by way of giving financial assistance or attractive subsidy to go for the cultivation of highly nutritious small food grains.

At a time when the area of cultivation, forest cover and number of rainy days are alarmingly shrinking wrong agricultural policies are being pursued by the governments, the farmers should at least now switch over to risk-free and healthy organic farming practices “which guarantee higher yield with less expenditure.”